Monday, December 12, 2011

Review: Costco Pizza

This blog is (mostly) about finding great pizza - destination pie. But in real life, sometimes you are hungry and the corner shop churning out Sysco-ingredient pizza is going to get the job done.Not long ago, someone over at slice posted an article asking how much you enjoy "bad" pizza that is well-rendered. Most of us agree that even bad pizza is good, and this article celebrated those pizzas made with common and cheap ingredients that taste pretty good anyway: Click here for "Would You Rather Have Good Bad Pizza or Bad Good Pizza?"

The "everything" slice at Costco

That discussion was in my mind on the busy Sunday when we visited Costco in Christiana, Delaware. EPBAC (eats pizza but avoids cheese) and I arrived hungry and opted to begin with a slice of $1.99 pepperoni pie. We got a slice each (they are HUGE triangles) and a 20-ounce refillable soda that cost $0.59. Two monster slices and a big drink for $4.57 (no tax in DE) is a nice deal. How was it?

Recommended: the pepperoni slice

We've had Costco pizza before, in their Brooklyn store. And the pizza here in Delaware was exactly the same. The most important aspect of any pie is always the crust, and at Costco, the crust is thick, light, puffy, chewy. Not crispy anywhere except for where it gets a nice golden brown on the top side of the cornicione. As I ate it, it reminded me of the fresh-baked "Italian" bread that you find often in supermarkets. It's not authentic Italian bread in any way other than the shape of the loaf, but it's still tasty in its own soft American way.

Any pizza is greasy, and this one, with a thick cover of gooey mozzarella and generous topping of pepperoni slices, was dripping with orange colored oil. The cheese (I got my own share plus the cheese that EPBAC pulled off her pie) was ordinary, as was the pepperoni. The sauce was tangy, bright, and salty. It was really much better than you'll find at most cheap pizza slingers. That lively sauce on the tasty-albeit-soft-American crust makes for some good guilty pleasure indulgence.

Unlike almost any other pizza, one slice of Costco pie fills you up. I've eaten two and regretted it. Overall, we award 6.5 stars to that soft and chewy crust, despite its lack of crunch and char. The cheese is a 5, the pepperoni a 5, and the sauce a shocking 7. Costco pizza earns a 6 overall, which distressingly would make it almost the King of Pizzas in West Chester PA.Don't miss our review of Costco "Take and Bake" pizza: Click HERE for Costco Take-and-Bake review